What you'll gain
Isolates wrist flexion, which most pulling exercises never train directly.
Builds the forearm flexors that close the grip on bars and handles.
Cable tension stays even across a very short range of motion.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Attach a straight bar to a low pulley and set a light weight.
- 2
Sit on a bench facing the stack with your feet about shoulder width apart.
- 3
Grip the bar underhand at shoulder width and rest your elbows on your inner thighs.
- 4
Let the bar drop by bending only at the wrists, allowing it to roll toward your fingers.
- 5
Close your grip and curl your wrists upward, squeezing the forearms at the top.
- 6
Pause briefly, then lower under control and repeat for reps.
Common Mistakes
Loading too heavy, which turns the rep into an elbow curl and hides the wrist range.
Lifting the elbows off the thighs, so the forearms move and the wrists stay locked.
Skipping the roll to the fingers, which leaves out the grip closing part of the movement.
Bouncing at the bottom, which loads the wrist joint rather than the flexors.
About This Exercise
The cable wrist curl braces the forearms against the thighs or a bench with a bar held underhand from a low pulley, so the only joint that moves is the wrist. Letting the bar roll toward the fingertips at the bottom and then closing the hand and flexing the wrist trains the forearm flexors that both bend the wrist and shut the grip. The cable holds a steady pull at every point in that short travel, which matters because the range itself is only a few inches. Light weight and a deliberate pause at the top do far more here than heavy loading. For a library this is the dedicated forearm clip most catalogs skip. It fits grip and forearm accessory blocks, climbing and racket sport programs, and elbow rehab content where controlled wrist flexion is the whole point.
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Cable Wrist Curl
Seated cable wrist curl with the forearms braced that isolates wrist flexion and builds grip strength.
Need more than one animation?
Choose a focused 104-exercise pack or unlock all 412, with commercial licensing included.
Specifications
Built for
- Grip and forearm accessory blocks in a training app.
- Climbing, racket sport and combat sport program tracks.
- Elbow and wrist rehab content in coaching platforms.
- Forearm filtered library entries in an exercise browser.
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
Barbell Wrist Curl
$4.99A small-range wrist flexion that isolates the forearm flexors — the classic finisher for grip strength and forearm size.
Dead Hang
$4.99An isometric hang from an overhead bar that loads the grip and forearm flexors while the upper body decompresses.
Dumbbell Wrist Curl
$4.99A seated forearm flexor curl that builds wrist strength and forearm thickness — the small accessory every arm day needs.
Dumbbell Wrist Extension
$4.99A seated reverse wrist curl that targets the often-neglected forearm extensors — the balancing piece to every wrist curl.
EZ Bar Reverse Preacher Curl
$4.99A palms-down preacher curl that hits the brachialis, forearms, and bicep together — an underused arm-day finisher.
Kettlebell Farmers Carry
$4.99A heavy walking carry with kettlebells in each hand — full-body strength training disguised as a stroll.